Trap shooting on steroids

J.B. Kasper/For The TimesA shooter takes aim at a clay bird at the Keystone Shooting Park.

With over 7.6 million participants, trap shooting is one of most popular sports in the country.

Locally, there are several good trap facilities which are heavily used. In America, trap shooting dates back to 1793 when live birds were used as targets.

Around the time of the Civil War, glass targets were introduced and by the 1880s the first clay targets were introduced.

Americans have always been some of the best shots in the world, and America’s tradition of great trap shooters begun with Capt. Adam Henry “Doc” Bogardus, who invented the first glass balls used in trap shooting in 1877.

Bogardus and his sons were world famous shooters who traveled with the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show in the late 1800s. Bogardus is in the National Trapshooting Hall of Fame.

There are two basic disciplines: American Trap and Olympic Trap (also know as Bunker Trap), along with several variations such as wobble trap, Down-the Line Trap and Hunter’s Trap.

American Trap has shooters shooting at five targets from each of five positions on a rotation basis, changing positions every five birds.

The birds are thrown from one trap machine in an above-ground trap house. Average speeds of the birds are from 40-50 mph thrown at random directions.

Olympic Trap has shooters shooting from six positions, constantly changing position after each shot.

The birds are thrown from one of three machines (one throwing to the left, one to the right and one to the straight away center).

Each match of 25 targets sees 10 birds to the left, five to the straight away center and 10 to the right.

The trap machines are housed underground, and the targets come from below the ground at speeds of 70-plus mph.

This past weekend at a Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers conference, I had the opportunity to get my first taste of Olympic Trap at the new Keystone Shooting Park located in Dalmatia, Pa. The park is a state-of-the-art, ultra-modern facility that opened in May 2011 and is a training facility that annually holds world-class Olympic Trap shooting events.

After shooting all my life and weekly shooting from 75-100 targets, one tends to think of himself as a decent shot. Well, I can tell you first hand that shooting bunker trap for the first time is a humbling experience.

Having a target come streaking out of the ground from one of three different directions and several different heights can put a person to mumbling to himself. While we won’t go into scores, it will suffice to say we shot well below our American trap average.

Keystone Shooting Park is the passion of Allen Chubb Jr., who is the president and treasurer of Chubb International Shooting Sports. It took Chubb five years to put together a coalition of backers and trap shooting enthusiasts to fund the first part of the project.

With assistance from the R.K. Mellon Family Foundation and various other grants, the first part of the park, the underground bunker which houses 15 trap machines and has the capability of storing over 200,000 targets and all the electronics to operate the facility — along with the shooting pad and clubhouse, has been completed.

Under construction is the Olympic skeet range, which is expected to be completed by summer.

The second phase of the park, a second trap range and larger clubhouse capable of housing classrooms and teaching facilities, will cost an addition $1.2 million.

In the first year of operation, the Park hosted the B&P USA Masters Cup, the Pennsylvania State Junior Olympic Trap Championship and the Perazzi USA Grand Prix. This year, some 11 events are already scheduled for the facility.

Keystone Shooting Park is a 16-acre facility located in the center of Martz’s Gap View Hunting Preserve, a sprawling bird hunting preserve and bird rearing hatchery which produces over 200,000 hunting birds a year.

In addition to the Shooting Park, there is a wobble trap range and a sporting clay range that is available to the public.

For a complete list of the events taking place at the Park and more information, visit keystoneshootingpark.com on the Web.

Stanley Brick/The TimesBass fishing rebounded well this past week.

FISHING REPORT
Saltwater
Capt. Chris Hueth of the Big Mohawk III said striped bass fishing has bounced back nicely since the passing of the full moon. Despite the weather problems this week, bass action was good on live bunker. Another person that told us of better bass action was Capt. Greg Market of the Golden Eagle. Capt. Bob Quinn of the Ocean Explorer continued the reports of good bass and bluefish action. Most of the fish have been to the northeast of the inlet around the schools of bunker. Market said both bass and bluefish are in good supply on his recent trips. The Jamaica also reports good bass and bluefish action. Capt. Howard Bogan said he has been seeing a steady bite with a 41-pound bass taking a recent pool. Capt. Ron Kish of the Capt. Cal II said his boat got in its first fluke of the season over the weekend and will be running combination striper and fluke trips this week. Members of the Glen Rock Fishing Club fished aboard the Skylarker and hit a good pull of stripers to 25 pounds. Capt. Steve Spinelli said the Ed Jones party boated a mix of stripers and blues, while the George Sexton party from Mercer County picked away at the stripers on live bunker. Anglers fishing aboard the Jamaica II are into good catches of ling. Donito Patrick of Trenton caught over 70 ling on a recent trip. The Paramount has also been into good catches of ling on her recent trips. Capt. Butch Egerter of the Dauntless said he has been seeing good action in 80-100 feet of water. Ling have been dominated the catch along with some keeper cod.

Local Waters
Bass and crappie fishing has been picky. Water temps are in the upper 60s, and both fish are on the spawn. I got reports of bass and crappies being caught in Lake Assunpink, Gropps Lake, Plainsboro Pond and Lake Mercer. This week will be the last stocking for the Assunpink Creek and Stony Brook. Only the canal will be stocked for the next two week.

Delaware River
Recent rain has helped maintain good water levels and conditions, and this has resulted in some good fishing. In the river north of Trenton, a solid mix of shad, small stripers, walleyes and smallmouth are being caught. Boat fishermen continue to see the better fishing for shad. Small stripers, walleyes and occasional smallies are being caught from the shoreline on plugs, teasers and jig-plasticbait combinations fished in the deeper eddies. In the tidal river, striped bass action has been good from Philadelphia to Trenton with mixed-size fish taking jigs, plugs and cut baits fished on the top of the tide.
Water temps in the tidal river are in the mid 60s on the outgoing water and in the low 60s on the incoming water. In the river north of Trenton, water temps are in the mid 60s. Water levels are normal for this time of the year, and all launch ramps are serviceable.